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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

One Little Word

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, and will continue to say it millions more:Twitter is a powerful tool for educators!
Over the Christmas holidays, I hosted an ongoing "12 Days of #Twittermas" Challenge for the staff in my district. There were twenty-four participants who accepted the challenge, several of which were brand-new to Twitter. Whether these participants completed one or all twelve Twittermas tasks, reading and sharing their tweets was really exciting! I learned something new about each of the participants and it will serve me well as I strive to foster deeper relationships with these staff members, something made possible due to Twitter!
Another of my favorite things about Twitter (and I have LOTS of favs!) is the Twitter Chats that take place weekly. I currently participate weekly in #TXed chat on Wednesday nights and #Gueri11aEd chat on Thursday nights. Through my active participation in these weekly chats, I have gained a plethora of knowledge, discovered tons of new educational resources, connected to like-minded educators to grow my Personal Learning Network, and shared my passions and thoughts about education to inspire others who are also participating in the chats. Can you achieve all of this in 30 minutes?! You can with the help of Twitter!
Now, here's my latest and greatest admiration for Twitter: #EduLS, or in non Twitter lingo: Educator Learning Series organized by the great +Todd Nesloney, also known as @TechNinjaTodd in the Twittersphere. To kick off the Educator Learning Series challenge, participants are encouraged to select one little word that will guide and represent them in 2015. To read more about the #onelittleword movement, visit the website of Ali Edwards. I encourage you to join the Educator Learning Series challenge to make 2015 a year of learning, growth, and accomplishments. Be sure to share your learning on Twitter and/or other social platforms where you can learn alongside other educators. What is your word for 2015?
When I came across the one little word challenge on Twitter (where else?!), I immediately reflected upon my first 2015 post and my five lifelong "I will" statements. Now, by participating in the #onelittleword movement and the #EduLS challenge, I can sum up my "I will" statements to just one little word: INSPIRE! This year, I hope to INSPIRE others regardless of whether they are in my professional or personal circle. In fact, I want to INSPIRE people beyond my regular circles! I aspire to inspire others through this blog and of course Twitter, the trainings that I lead, and most importantly by my daily actions and words. The time to INSPIRE is now!